One of the few men ever to escape San Quentin State Prison walked out legitimately this time, after a long stint in the same prison.
In 1974, Watani Stiner fled the U.S. and lived as a fugitive in South America for the next two decades before turning himself into U.S. authorities.
“There was a civil war going on in Suriname,” Stiner said. “All the chaos and turmoil going on made me worry for the safety of my family. I walked into the U.S. embassy to negotiate my surrender for the love of my children.”
The Stiners
Stiner, who was a columnist for the San Quentin News before he paroled, was born in Texas on Jan. 30, 1948. He is the son of George and Lula Mae Stiner. He has two brothers and two sisters.
Stiner said when he was 7 years old his mother wanted a change, so the family took a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles.
He said after arriving in the projects of Watts, he was excited to get back to school. Watts, he says, was a lot different from Texas.
Stiner said his father, a mathematics professor, taught at various black schools while his mother worked as a nurse. However, Stiner said his father’s alcoholism eventually broke his family apart.
“Just when I thought I was settled into school, my mother took our family to the west side of Los Angeles,” Stiner said.
After moving to West Los Angles, Stiner said his other siblings from Texas joined the family.
Two months before graduating from Manuel Arts High School, Stiner said he married Hodari, his high school sweetheart. They had two children, Larry Jr. and Lionel. “I was a very proud father,” he said.
To support his family, in 1967, Stiner said he got a job at Douglas Aircraft.
Conflict, Revolutionaries and War
“We not only made airplanes but bombs that were sent to Vietnam,” Stiner said. “At that time, I was also taking classes at UCLA studying cinema photography and Political Science.”
Stiner said as he became more educated, his political beliefs changed.
“I began to disagree with what Douglas Aircraft was doing,” Stiner said. He said after two years of working at Douglas, he quit and got involved in a movement that led to the shootout on the UCLA campus. Stiner said after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, he and his brother received life sentences, while another defendant was sent to the Youth Authority.
Stiner said that once in the prison system, he and his brother were separated. Watani was sent to Soledad Prison and George to San Quentin.
He said everything changed two years later when in 1971, a Soledad prison guard was murdered and the Soledad Brothers went on trial for his murder. He said Soledad was completely locked down and a large number of blacks, considered revolutionaries, were transferred to other prisons.
Stiner was sent to San Quentin’s Adjustment Center also known as “the hole.” Records show that the Stiner brothers should not be housed in the same prison, but no other prison would accept him, Stiner said. After two months in segregation, he was released to the general population.
For the next three years, he would share the same cell with George. However, Stiner said they both felt that because of the incident at Soledad, their lives were in danger. He said that at the time, they believed a squad was formed to destroy all revolutionaries.
He said they were living in constant fear. So, they devised a plan to escape from San Quentin. The plan was successful in 1974.
On The Run
In South America, Stiner said, he established a new identity, a new life and settled down and had seven children.
“It was difficult not having contact with my high school sweetheart and our two kids,” Stiner said. “This was a pain I lived with every day. While living in Suriname, every time I saw my children, I was reminded of my two sons in America.” Love is powerful, Stiner said, “especially when two innocent kids have no idea what happen to their daddy.”
Stiner said authorities in the U.S. embassy confirmed he was convicted for the UCLA incident and in fact had escaped from San Quentin Prison. In exchanged for Stiner’s surrender, his children were supposed to come to the U.S. with him.
Stiner said that although he knew, he would be incarcerated and away from his children, perhaps for the rest of his natural life, he says it was a sacrifice he could live with.
Back in the Hole
When he was returned to San Quentin, he was told he was going to Pelican Bay State Prison; the prison officials call a prison for the “worst of the worst.” However his attorney arranged for him to be housed at San Quentin pending the out come of the escape charges. During that time, he was returned to the Adjustment Center. After being found guilty of escape, the subsequence time added to his sentence was run concurrent to his life sentence.
Stiner spent 21 years back in prison since his surrender.
He said that he lived in agony for 11 years waiting for his children to come to the United States after he turned himself in. He smiles and proudly says “Three of my children have successfully graduated from college with their Bachelors of Arts degree.”
While in prison Stiner spent most of his time working clerk jobs and in the library searching for ways to hold the government accountable for their agreement with him.
The OG
Watani eventually became a staff member for San Quentin News and had this urge to reach out to the young troubled kids in order that they not get caught up in and pursue a negative life style. The OG Perspective Colum was created.
“To stumble is not to fall only to move forward faster,” Stiner said, referring to an African proverb that has inspired him to never accept failure and help change lives in a positive direction. “For the love of my children, it was worth it.”
Stiner’s future includes getting his memoirs published, a fascinating story about crime, murder, and redemption.
Archives for February 2015
S.Q. Inmates Lend a Hand To NorCal Special Olympics
Inmates inside San Quentin State Prison are currently supporting the Special Olympics Northern California Program and looking for more ways to do it.
“The inmate population is very cutting edge when it comes to fund raising…other programs want to mirror what I do with you. You’re doing the food sales,” said Ruth Sanchez, the senior development director for the Special Olympics Northern Region.
Sanchez visited San Quentin on Jan. 6 to thank inmates for what they have raised so far and to discuss further ways to contribute.
Sanchez has found prisoners eager to support. In six months, almost $80,000 was raised from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmates in 15 different prisons to support the 30,000 Special Olympic athletes of California.
Northern California has 16,750 special athletes who compete year round in 11 sports.
Southern California has 11,000. The sports include basketball, track and field, swimming, floor hockey, golf, bowling, bocce, volleyball, softball, and tennis.
“Inmates approach us about their cousins and family members who have special needs…that’s the connection. They want to help,” said Sanchez. “I’ve learned so much in the last six months… I see the common theme of hope in special needs athletes and inmates.”
Further ways to support, in addition to food sales, were discussed. They included organizing ice-water “plunges” and setting up a website for family members to contribute.
The money would go to sponsor athletes with special needs like Special Olympic champion Stephanie Hammond, who used sports to overcome being bullied. A bully broke her leg in six places. She was introverted and home-schooled afterwards. Then she discovered sports and blossomed.
“I try not to let bullying bother me. It just makes me stronger,” said Hammond. “Now I’m a global ambassador, CDCR ambassador, law enforcement ambassador, and I travel all over the nation. I’ve been to 25 states,” said Hammond.
Hammond wore about seven of the nearly 1,000 medals she earned during her 17 years competing in Special Olympic basketball, bocce ball, and bowling. Hammond plans to start soccer in September. Her favorite sport is basketball. She’s the starting point guard for a coed team with only four girls and averages 20 points a game.
“Some of my medals are in the governor’s mansion,” said Sanchez.
Eunice Shriver was heavily involved in special needs issues. Her son, Tim Shriver, took over after she died.
Sanchez is driven to help develop the Special Olympics because of her son, who has special needs. She has watched him develop self-confidence and get a job after having played in the events.
“Every time I help an athlete win an award or another race, I’m helping my son,” said Sanchez.
Corrections in Arizona raised over a half-million dollars. Then CDCR’s Jeff Beard offered support. Sanchez decided to go further and extended her hand for donations from the inmate population.
“We are all humans; we all have feelings….we aren’t different from each other. We just have deferent circumstances,” said Sanchez.
Avenal, Solano, and Mule Creek State Prisons have been very supportive, Sanchez noted.
“I went to Avenal State Prison, and 50-plus inmates had at least 30 questions. ‘Thank you for not judging us and letting us feel connected,’ they told me,” said Sanchez. “Inmates send cards; they support. Avenal wants us to come back.”
Other current sponsors included major corporations like Chevron and Kaiser Permanente, law enforcement, CDCR, inmate populations, and the community.
“Thank you CDCR and inmates for supporting us. Without ya’ll, this wouldn’t be possible. You are making a difference for 30,000 athletes,” said Hammond.
Searching for Fungus
At a cost of $5.4 million, state prison officials have conducted a voluntary screening of California inmates to find out who has been exposed to the soil-borne fungus that causes valley fever.
Experts say that people who have already been exposed to the fungus are generally immune to repeat infections.
Prison officials are planning to transfer a limited number of those who have been previously exposed to the fungus to two facilities where 83 percent of valley fever cases in the California prison system occurred in 2011: Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) and Avenal State Prison (ASP).
Inmates who declined to volunteer for screening “are considered eligible for transfer to the two prisons unless they are in high-risk groups,” reported The Associated Press.
According to a 2013 federal court order, those who are African American, Filipino, those with diabetes and those with a weakened immune system, are at a higher risk for developing complications from valley fever.
Individuals over the age of 65 have a medical restriction from being housed at ASP and PVSP.
Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed receiver who controls prison medical care, said about 90,000 of the more than 134,000 state inmates would be tested, according to the AP report.
Experts from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected that about 13 percent of the tested inmates will be found to be immune, or about 11,700 inmates, the AP reported. The capacity of PVSP and ASP is about 8,200 inmates.
San Quentin State Prison North Block Testing:
About a week prior to the testing, San Quentin’s closed-circuit television system aired an informational video that explained the screening process. However, the full message did not air because the video cut off before its completion.
The video format Sacramento sent didn’t work with the San Quentin equipment, TV Specialist Larry Schneider said in an interview. He said after reformatting the video to fit San Quentin equipment specifications, the last part of it was cut off.
Prison administrators also passed out a pamphlet to inmates that explained the test was voluntary. If someone declined the test and did not have a current restriction, they would continue to be eligible for transfer to Pleasant Valley or Avenal.
More than 75 percent of the 500 inmates in North Block identified by prison administrators for screening did not volunteer to take the test.
Cell Feeding:
January 12 began in North Block with an announcement at about 6:30 a.m. that inmates with diabetes were to be let out of their cells so they could receive their medication.
Normally, after inmates receive their medication, they make their way to the chow hall for breakfast. However, on screening day the diabetics were order back to their cells.
About five or six inmates assisted North Block correctional officers in passing out bagged breakfasts and lunches to each cell. Inmates who receive special dietary meals, such as religious diets, had their food delivered to their cells also.
The standard breakfast consisted of cocoa-pop cold cereal, coffee-cake, two boiled eggs, milk, apple juice and instant coffee. The lunch consisted of peanut butter and jelly, four slices of bread, a twin pack of cookies, corn nuts and an instant fruit drink.
Testing:
The tests for valley fever began on the first tier at about 11 a.m.
Everyone was ordered to get out of their cells, walk around to the back of North Block and line up according to assigned cell.
Next, people who were on the list for screening were called to a table where a staff member asked whether they wanted to take the test. He then checked off the answer and directed the inmate to another area with about six other staff members.
When the inmates reached the other area, they were asked again if they were going to take the test. When an inmate said “no” he was told, “You will have to sign this refusal slip.”
One inmate said, “I am not refusing to take your test or experiment or whatever this is. I am not volunteering to take this test. You can check off whatever you want.” The staff member then told the inmate he had to sign the paper. The inmate repeated he was not volunteering to sign anything. The staff member told the inmate, “Just go.”
Other inmates who did not volunteer for the test said they did not sign the refusal slip because staff members would not give them a copy of what they were signing, or they could not understand what the content of the refusal slip was.
Testing in North Block ended at about 1:15 p.m.
Who Volunteered?
Inmates who volunteered for testing were taken to a location outside of North Block to receive an injection of the screening solution.
Those who did not volunteer for testing were ordered back to their cells.
Here are the numbers by race of inmates (from second tier to the highest fifth tier) who went to the injection location outside of North Block:
- White: 70
- Black: 9
- Hispanic: 14
- Other: 12
- Total: 105
- Average per tier: 26.25
- Estimated North Block Total: 131
One inmate who took the test said he asked the staff member who was administering the screening test to him, “What is in this?” The person told him what it was, but the inmate said he couldn’t understand the words. The inmate said he then asked the staff member if he could take one of the empty boxes. The staff member said, “No.” Therefore, the inmate said he wrote down what was on the box — Immitis spherule-dirived.
The Results:
On Jan. 14, North Block was placed on lockdown so that readings could be taken from the inmates who participated in the test.
The breakfast schedule was essentially the same as Jan. 12.
After breakfast, each person was called to the first desk by name and cell so officials could take their reading.
Here is the number of inmates called to the desk:
- First tier: 30
- Second tier: 25
- Third tier: 13
- Fourth tier: 20
- Fifth tier: 24
- Total inmates called: 112.
California’s Recidivism Rate Declines In the Three Years Since Realignment
A recent study finds that the number of inmates released from state prison in California and returned to custody has declined since the implementation of Realignment (AB 109).
Three years after the program to send some parole violators and non-violent, non-serious offenders to local correction authorities, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) researched the effectiveness of Realignment to see if recidivism in the state had been reduced.
“Prior to the implementation of California’s 2011 public safety realignment (AB 109), the state’s prison system had one of the nation’s highest recidivism rates,” PPIC reported.
“Authorities frequently used parole revocations rather than new criminal prosecutions to return parolees arrested for technical parole violations,” PPIC reported.
The report said it did not see huge changes in the arrest or conviction rates of released offenders, which offers evidence that “offender behavior has not changed substantially.”
PPIC reported the law, post-Realignment, makes it difficult to return some released inmates to state prison.
“Recidivism is a fundamentally important
issue if we are to be smart on crime”
It was reported by PPIC that “Realignment has, as intended, led to a considerable 33 percentage point drop in the proportion of released inmates who are returned to state prison. This demonstrates that realignment has made substantial progress in one of its main goals: reducing the use of prison as a sanction for parole violations and minor criminal offenses.”
According to PPIC, the law (AB 109) has “ceased the flow of released inmates back to prison. As a result, prison and state parole populations have dropped dramatically.”
The report said that prior to Realignment many parole violators “would probably be in prison,” but they are “no longer behind bars.”
In contrast to these findings, PPIC found the number of offenders arrested multiple times increased by 7 percent. “These higher multiple arrest rates may reflect the substantial increase in the time released offenders spend on the streets – a result of counties’ limited jail capacity.”
PPIC reported that the reform now increases the “street time” of former prisoners.
According to PPIC, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported offender arrest and conviction rates “apparently declined in each month of the post-realignment period.”
“Prisoners released post-realignment are less likely to be like the pre-reform ‘frequent flyers’ who cycled in and out of prison on parole revocations,” PPIC reported.
According to the report, California’s high return to custody, its recidivism rate, was due in large part to parole violations. “Realignment has all but ended the state’s practice of returning parolees to prison via the parole board.”
Attorney General Kamala Harris, in a recent notice to the state’s sheriffs, police chiefs, probation departments, district attorneys and other stakeholders, stressed the need for the state to assess strategies to reduce recidivism. She outlined her proposed statewide definition of recidivism as an arrest resulting in a charge filed by a prosecutor within three years of an individual’s release from incarceration or placement on supervision for a previous criminal conviction.
“Universally defining recidivism is a fundamentally important issue if we are to be smart on crime,” Harris said.
The news release said Harris created a recidivism reduction pilot program in Los Angeles County called Back on Track LA. While working as San Francisco’s district attorney, Harris in 2005 started the reentry program, Back on Track, to reduce recidivism rates among low-level, non-violent drug offenders.
Among several of PPIC’s other findings:
The reduction of inmate rates of return to state custody within a year of offenders’ release declined slightly; and post-realignment conviction increased by 1.2 percent, most being higher felony conviction rates.
“These efforts are necessary to reducing recidivism and relieving pressures on state prisons and county jails – which will ultimately allow California to reach its federally mandated prison population threshold,” the report concluded.